Flutterby has been using a Nature's Head for over four years now, and I've got no desire to go back. (Unfortunately it is TALLER than the original head and I have yet to rebuild the shelf raising the floor in that compartment to compensate for that. So it is a little too high comfortable use...one more thing on my job list below rigging my sails!)

I've used "peat moss" which (at least here in the US) isn't actually dug out of a peat bog, but is something else entirely (spagnum moss? Not sure...) and not such an unsustainable solution.

I've also found compressed bricks of coconut coir and it works well, although it is harder to find here in the US. The last time we got any, we ordered it over the internet and paid as much as shipping as we did for the product. Fortunately they are compact enough to make storing a year's supply seem feasible unlike the "peat moss"

I do find that for two of us aboard full-time the liquids need to be dumped almost daily, and the "compost" needs to be dealt with every month or two. I've buried it in the woods, dumped it overboard, and just put it in a trash compactor bag (strong and not too big) and thrown it away in a marina dumpster when no other option presented itself.

Barry

Annie Hill wrote:While I like the idea of a composting toilet, I'm not too sure how well it works for a full-time liveaboard.  Where do you dump the 'compost', which is very new, to put it politely?  What do you use for composting and how do you find space for it?  Using peat is out of the question for me, because it is not sustainable.

NZ has rules for the discharge of marine toilets, a certain distance offshore, not near beaches etc - too-new compost is just the same in principle, but with the timing optional, as for a holding tank. 

While I like the idea of a composting toilet, I'm not too sure how well it works for a full-time liveaboard.  Where do you dump the 'compost', which is very new, to put it politely?  What do you use for composting and how do you find space for it?  Using peat is out of the question for me, because it is not sustainable.

For those who are interested in this topic we have had an Airhead composting toilet in Footprints for a year now. I would have to say that it is the best marine toilet I have come across in my 40 plus years of boating experience which includes 10 years of operating bareboat charter fleets, so I could tell quite a few marine toilet stories. The installation of the Airhead is simple, it takes up no more real floor space than a chemical toilet and is simple to operate. With our casual use of the boat we have had to empty the composting bowl only once in that year. The 8 litre urine container I find needs to be emptied once every 24 hours with the 3 of us on board. I thought of designing and building my own marine composting toilet but in the end decided to pay the money and get all the design refinement that a manufactured toilet provides. The Naturehead is almost identical to the Airhead, is a little cheaper but requires more floor area. The C Head looks interesting and had I known about that when I bought the Airhead maybe I would have bought one of those instead. The simple sawdust toilet would also work very well in a boat but it is good to be able to separate out the urine and get rid of it. Also an extractor fan is good to get rid of any potential odours inside the boat.

Gary King wrote:Not huge fan of porta potties. In preparation for our build, I have accumulated:

a 20L bucket, 

an oval shaped funnel, 

a paint mixing implement, 

5L plastic petrol can 

and a basic toilet seat/lid. 

The funnel fits perfectly the curve of the inside of the bucket, so theres the separation of liquids/solids taken care of.

Left to buy is some pvc piping and computer fans for the ventilation.

Not sure about the source of peat moss here in Aus. The stuff from Bunnings has potting mix bacteria in it, which the wife says is not the right stuff.

Gary are you working to a design or designing your own?